Eduardo Slatopolsky: A Pioneer in the Field of Mineral and Bone Disorders in Kidney Disease.

Eduardo Alberto Slatopolsky (1934-2024), Washington University Joseph Friedman Professor Emeritus of Medicine, a prominent physician-scientist, was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The impact of his research in the area of mineral and bone disorders in kidney disease has been profound for over 50 years starting in the 1960s. He was a global authority on secondary hyperparathyroidism. He was instrumental in illustrating the role of hyperphosphatemia in chronic kidney disease (CKD) and in developing the first reliable parathyroid hormone (PTH) assay. His research led to the utilization of calcium salts as phosphate binders replacing the toxic aluminum salts. Moreover, he illustrated the role of vascular calcifications in CKD patients, paving the way for non-calcium phosphate binders. He proposed the use of calcitriol and later vitamin D analogs in the management of secondary hyperparathyroidism, which is the current standard of care. He demonstrated the decreased expression of the calcium-sensing receptor in parathyroid tissue in CKD patients. Dr. Slatopolsky's global legacy will last for generations.